893.01/963
The Ambassador in China (Gauss) to the Secretary of State
[Received October 14.]
Sir: I have the honor to refer to the Embassy’s despatches nos. 999, March 15, 1943;50 1079, April 14, 1943, and 1273, June 19, 1943,51 in regard to increased Central Government control in Yunnan, and to enclose a memorandum50 containing further information submitted by the Consul at Kunming under date of September 4, 1943.
Summary: The Central Government’s hold on Yunnan is now virtually complete. The only important area of the province still under effective Provincial Government control is along the Indochina border west of the Yunnan-Indochina Railway. The power of Y. T. Miao and Lu Ch’ung-jen, two important political figures of Yunnan, has declined in recent months, especially since the appointment in March, 1943, of General Ch’en Ch’eng as commander-in-chief of the Chinese Expeditionary Force in Yunnan.
Respectfully yours,